Sep 22

Sep 22 Synergy: Coming Home

Photo submitted by Suneja.

Emma Suneja

After a rocky 2024-2025 season, under the new direction of Director Hannah Ramsey, Choreographer Alex Shultz, and returning Band Director Alex Chanto, Hamilton Synergy is back and working hard to put together their show: Coming Home. The set includes: “Ready to Go” by Panic At the Disco, “Runnin’ Down a Dream” by Tom Petty, “Run to You” by Pentatonix, “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” by Bon Jovi, “Coming Home” by Sheppard, and “You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home” from the Hannah Montana movie. This combination of catchy and recognizable songs will create an amazing show!

This is not only an exciting show, it is also an homage to the journey Synergy had last year. With all of the turmoil and confusion caused by the loss of Director Maggie Condon (MC), large responsibilities were left to the student leadership and parent volunteers. It was a difficult time to put on performances when the students didn’t know what their future held. The set this year talks about how things can change, but you can always find your way back home because the essence of home doesn’t change, just like how Synergy had to stray away from what Synergy meant during the period of chaos last year in order to find what truly matters to the team: giving an honest performance. The team is dedicated to making their performances true and honest to give their audience something to relate to. When asked why giving an honest performance is important to them, here is how Synergy members responded.

“Synergy last year was lacking a lot of real connections between the team members. However, this year, we immediately clicked as a team. The comfortable dynamic we have as a group has been extremely apparent in our performance already. The opportunity to perform with a group that's full of your friends has made our show so much more emotional and fun, and I know our team is going to continue to reap the positive benefits because of the connections that have been created.” Emma King (junior)
“When I am able to fully immerse myself into a performance, it feels like a release. Performing for me is a way to express myself and my emotions. Before I was a singer/dancer on Synergy, my sister was. I still remember going to watch her for the first time; my eyes were all aglow, and I realized for the first time this is what I want to do. It means so much to be able to carry on the Synergy legacy. Now anytime I perform I think about that moment, and I make sure everyone in the audience feels the same way that I did my first time.” Lauryn Heine (junior)
“I think having an honest performance reflects a lot onto the audience and makes them feel something that has a lot more impact than a disingenuous one. We have a reputation of being an honest show choir which is something I am proud of and want to continue.” Gia Quast (senior)

As a frequent viewer and supporter of Synergy, Mrs. Sarah Kowalske gave some insight about what effect Synergy’s performances leave on the audience.

“The genuine passion and belief from performers always translates on stage to their audience. Having the opportunity to see many of the Synergy shows through the years, I’m so excited to see what this year’s team creates!”

Rehearsals are already well on their way with the team meeting twice a week to work on learning vocals and cleaning choreography. Student leadership is composed of both Dance Captains and Section Leaders who work hard to help students give their best performance. When asked for opinions about the long rehearsal hours, here is how some Synergy members responded.

“While I don't always appreciate long rehearsals, I find that they can be very helpful because we get the most done during those times. Long rehearsals can feel endless but they are very worth it in the long run because they force us to stay focused and absorb more information which increases our productivity.” Fiona Pachter (sophomore)
“I really hate the 5+ hour rehearsals, I truly do. But at the same time, I don't think our team would be anywhere close to the place we are at now without them. They are necessary to our team's success. We put in a lot of time and work into our set, and the long rehearsals are an essential part of that. For instance, this past Monday, we had rehearsal until 9pm. Once we came back for rehearsal Thursday, you could visibly see the improvement-- and that's just one example. Last year it was my first year, and the long rehearsals were probably my least favorite part, but now, after going through a year of rehearsals, performances, and competitions, I look forward to them.” Oktober Brown (junior)
“Although our rehearsals are long, our team always finds a way to make the most out of the rehearsals. With the strong community we have built we find ways to make difficult/stressful situations not only easier to manage but fun and enjoyable. Without these long rehearsals we understand our team and our success wouldn’t be where it is.” Sydney Nicholas (senior)

The team is working hard and making waves of improvement. When first year Synergy singer-dancers were asked about first learning the choreography and how they feel now, this was the response.

“When I first started our choreography I was kind of scared and didn’t know what to expect, and once we started it was definitely not easy! I was sweating so much and it was a lot but I started getting the hang of it after a while. It has been a few months and I’m a pro at our dance now! Our choreographer has helped us improve so much and our dance captains Emma Suneja, Ara Shultz, and Emily Muehlenbach have helped us clean our dance so much and now I feel confident and proud about the dance!” Chase Chitten (freshman)
“I've always looked forward to competing, performing, and travelling with a choir group as it expresses one of my true passions; however, I wasn't prepared for the vigorous hours of dance camp, blisters from show shoes, and the frustrating runs of every new choreography we've learned frequently in under ten minutes. Now, I cannot even explain how much I've realized my own growth in my maturity, knowledge, and ability to keep up with my upperclassmen as a freshman. This has truly made me realize just how impactful mine, and the rest of our choir's dedication is to Synergy that allows all these weekly hours spent on training to eventually come together as I build camaraderie with my Synergy family in our successful season.” Charlize Yang (freshman)
“When I first started Synergy, I wasn’t very confident in my dancing ability. However, due to the positivity of the group and the overall great job the choreographer and dance camps did, I am now very confident in the choreo and my dancing ability!” Elijah Karnthaler (senior)
“When I first learned the choreography, I was a little stressed out because there were so many different steps!! But after time it has become muscle memory which is crazy to think about. After we practiced and practiced it with a ton of help from our dance captains it became so easy! And then facials just added on and everything came together!” Sophia Rupert (freshman)

The first performance to see Synergy perform their entire set with costumes, lights, full crew, and the full band is Thursday, January 8 at 7pm. We hope to see you there!